1982-04-27 Toots and The Maytals

Triangle Theatre

I noted on the stub that the Majestics opened for Toots.

My roommate and I woke up on the morning after the Ithaca shows and decided we would drive to Rochester for another Toots show. We arrived just before Toots took the stage, and after parking in a lot right across the street from the venue we could hear the band start playing - and we shaked and danced straight into the theatre as the band opened with Pressure Drop.

Three Toots and The Maytals shows in two days, quite an accompishment!

1982-[05-20] Clarence Clemens Band

Ithaca College

Spring concert on campus.

1982-06-19 John Mayall's Bluesbreakers

Beacon Theatre

This show was a rare gem. Setlists.com has no setlist and neither do I, but they did release a CD from this tour, called “The 1982 Reunion Concert”. Mick Taylor played slide guitar on his lap for one song. This was the only time I have seen Mick Taylor but it was a thrill. Mick Fleetwood handled the drums on this tour.

1982-07-27 The Grateful Dead

Red Rocks Ampitheater

Up in Ithaca for the summer in 1982, my friends there had caught some of the spring Grateful Dead shows but I didn’t. We all wanted to see more shows and decided it was high time to head to Colorado for the Red Rocks shows. We were able to stay up near Boulder at a friend’s house, a buddy that had just graduated with me, he was working in restaurants and he eventually became a co-founder of one of a well-known chain up in ski country - Prazzo’s pizza.

It was obviously always a great objective to see the Dead on consecutive nights, since they had enough material to play different stuff each night, and especially in a premier venue like Red Rocks. After the three Dead shows, I took about 35 years to get back to see another concert there.

Unusual for Denver, there were a lot of showers in the area for several days, and most of the time throughout the three nights. But the shows went on as planned at Red Rocks although McNichols Arena was listed as an alternate venue in case of rain.

The setlists featured lots of songs with allusions to the weather - including, during this first night, a true classic in a super rendition of “China ] Rider” to close the first set. “I’d shine my light through the cool Colorado rain…” - you can hear the crowd reaction on the tape.

I am not sure why no soundboard tapes are available (to my knowledge), but in most cases the audience recordings are quite clear and pleasant sounding. The second sets of the first two shows have killer setlists and overall there’s just a lot of top-notch music on these tapes. The first night has really tight, upbeat versions of so many tunes, and a unique jam section out of the Terrapin (during a Playin in the Band / Wheel sequence similar to one etched in our minds by a popular tape from 5/19/77). In the next two posts I mention the encores. Its a great assortment of tunes over three nights, and, as we expected, with no repeats.

Below: Taken in downtown Boulder, the day before the first show…

1982-07-28 The Grateful Dead

Red Rocks Ampitheater

See my Night 1 comments about this run of shows. This show, the second of the run, is a real standout, with its combination of Let it Grow and Spanish Jam reminding me of my last show in Ithaca in 1981. So many years later, I would obtain a fine tape from 1974 with those tunes done in sequence segued by an incredible jam, a show especially noteworthy to Keith Godchaux students/fans like me.

The audience recording of this show is a classic. It begins with a sharp argument between some tapers. The band was evidently onstage about to start and one of the guys is complaining severely to taper Jim Wise that someone had messed with the levels on his deck; the first chord of Shakedown then crashes down, and he’s been informed that his cherished tape deck’s levels are set ok. I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys were close to where we were that night as I do recall sitting near tapers.

As noted above, not sure why the run’s tapes include no soundboards. It seems like these shows have been somewhat overlooked and that’s too bad because they are quite interesting. The Baby Blue encore, to close this great show, combined with the Brokedown encore on the next night, are high among my favorite GD concert moments.

1982-07-29 The Grateful Dead

Red Rocks Ampitheater

See my other comments about this run of shows.

I have no ticket stub for the third night, so I’ve used a photo of some good-looking fans sporting their official T-shirts purchased at the shows.

Among other things, the Brokedown encore at the end of this night to close the three night run was a moment to remember.

---

Below: (then) state-of-the-art setlist information, handed out at shows, about the 1982 tour.

1982-08-11 Steel Pulse

The Ritz

Photos I took from the floor at the Ritz, Steel Pulse, August 1982

In early Summer of 1982 I made one of my excursions to Greenwich Village to look for records and stumbled upon a brand new album by Steel Pulse called “True Democracy.” I bought it and played it a few times, at which point I felt like I needed to listen to it more, and then more, and well, you know the rest. I was already a fan, I had all three of the previous albums. Among reggae fans these were already considered classics. We would find some EPs, dub versions and rarities by Steel Pulse now and then in the Village.

Steel Pulse’s first album had only come out around the time I started college an I got to know about Steel Pulse originally through Jah Lounge’s radio show. One night he played a dub version of the great tune “Reggae Fever,” the only time I ever heard that version.

By the time the world lost Bob Marley, Steel Pulse was considered among the handful of bands that were likely successors to become the most successful reggae band in the world.

The Ritz was a unique and amazing venue. Before shows they showed videos (movies and clips on film), mostly that we had never seen before, including great reggae artists.

I don't think there was an early show - only one per night. The show time on ticket says 11.30pm. In the Ritz there was no backstage entrance to the stage area and performers had to walk through the crowd before the show in order to get to the stage. Often times, they went unnoticed, but on this first night we turned and saw David Hinds coming through with a big yellow top hat over his Congo Dread. I returned for the show the next night .

On another day in NYC around this time, I picked up a Village Voice and saw inside, unmistakenly, a picture of David Hinds with his “Congo Dread,” in the “On the Street” Column with photos by Amy Arbus

1982-08-12 Steel Pulse

The Ritz

Steel Pulse at The Ritz, 1982

See my N1 post. Additional photos below.

Steel Pulse during “Ku Klux Klan,” at The Ritz, NYC 1982 (Band member dressed in hood at middle right)

David Hinds during “Blues Dance Raid” - “From them pocket dem draw handcuff ….”

1982-08-20 Talking Heads

Paramount Theater

Talking Heads were completely happening at this time, and it had already been a few years since sitting down with Fear of Music (and then the earlier albums) for the first time. Remain in Light was the latest Studio Album and in this year they put out an excellent double live album that we just listened to constantly. Its interesting to see how many shows used to start late, this one at 10pm.

1982-09-25 Peter Tosh / Jimmy Cliff

Felt Forum

I had great seats for this show, sitting down front to the left in the first section. The band started the introduction to "Pick Myself Up," the opening number, and Tosh strutted out in a funky outfit with a walking stick, instantly mesmerizing the crowd. Tosh had enormous stage presence - not just merely because of his tall, lanky body. He was always so cool - too cool for his shirt - and his sunglasses.

Jimmy Cliff performed tunes from the "Special" album at this show. All of these reggae albums and shows in this era have come to be known as classics, and this show featured two of the greatest reggae artists of all time. That Jimmy Cliff album is one of my favorite reggae records, all of the songs are worth many great listens, as are the alternate and dub versions.

1982-10-04 Rita Marley

The Ritz

Another great reggae show at the Ritz in 1982. This was a rare opportunity to see Rita after Bob passed on. At this point Rita had gained a good deal of success with her recent hit “One Draw” and previous material.

1982-10-12 The Clash / The Who

Shea Stadium

The Who. The Clash. Two bands from East London playing in the eastern borough of NYC.

There is a great photo of The Clash all suited up in an open convertible Cadillac driving through Queens, quite classic.

This was the only time I saw either of these bands, and not much can be said in words that can possibly put them in perspective other than words like…Quadrophenia… and London Calling… Wow, what can you say except that this was a big year for concerts.

For many years previous, Shea Stadium was a near and dear place for me, because I started attending Mets games in 1969 at the age of 8 and was in attendance on the evening of September 24, 1969 when, in the words of Newsday “one of the most improbable events in human history occurred”.

At the show we stood toward the back of the field. During the Clash set it seemed like mass hysteria going on near the stage.

Near me, some poor dude couldn’t seem to rid himself of whatever he drank, and his vomiting went on about as long as in the classic Monty Python segment from Meaning of Life. Another dude took control of the situation - first he ordered the vomiting man to leave the vicinity, yelling at him incessantly; next, he pulled out a pocket knife and started to cut the tarp on the Shea field. Without even hesitating, he cut a big square of tarp around the vomit area - he then started rolling up the square of tarp, neatly trapping the vomit inside. Just like that, the vomit was gone and the audience there on the field spread out over the nice swatch of the green grass of Shea just sticking right up through that square hole in the tarp.

1982-10-28 Jerry Garcia Band

Felt Forum

1982-11-20 Devo

The Palladium (NYC)

Above: Devo flyer with an important message on the cover from General Boy, 1980

This show was unique, fantastic and crazy. These guys were pioneers of the rock video concept, but (at least earlier on) their own videos were too subversive and objectionable to be shown by MTV or other big media outlets. During the performance, images of the band playing on video were synchronized with the live performance onstage in an advanced way, for its day (Gerald Casale, in the interview noted below, mentions how they used a click track to keep everything in sync). There is a lot of interesting video material that coordinates with the music and creates humor and various effects.

Toward the end of the show Mark Mothersbaugh ran through the audience and climbed up a rope ladder - without a safety net - into the balcony area, all the while singing into his wireless mic.

There is a video online that shows the main set from this same tour. Its not great quality but interesting to check out. The more important thing is the broader collection of their music videos that was on vhs (We’re All Devo), with classic versions of many songs and a cameo appearance by Timothy Leary. Beginning with its opening sketch with Rod and Donut Rooter, the song Worried Man on that tape remains an all-time classic, and as relevant as ever. You know, it really does take a worried man.

Its been interesting to check out Mothersbaugh’s other work over the years since Devo, and to hear him and Casale discuss various topics in interviews. One I recommend is the Casale interview from 1995, an Oral History of Devo, where among many other things he explains that “De-evolution refuted the idea of linear progress, that people just keep getting better and better and better and more evolved toward some outside idea of perfection… we saw the opposite… ” (or what, at left is referred to as “a major attack of corkscrews in the brain”).

1983-05-03 Toots and The Maytals

Beacon Theatre

1983-05-07 Johnny Winter

SUNY New Paltz

1983-06-18 The Grateful Dead

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

This is a famous show, the first time they played at SPAC, and my first time there. This one is well- known especially for its inspired performance of Morning Dew during the middle of the second set, on a night when there were lightning storms flashing in the sky.

This yet another show with a fine recording (in this case an audience recording) graced by the talents of Charlie Miller and readily available on archive.org.

1983-07-06 Peter Tosh (with Word Sound & Power)

Concerts on the Pier (Pier 84, NYC)

Among the great reggae and new wave shows I saw at the Pier was Peter Tosh on the Mama Africa tour.

Below are photos I took on this night of Tosh and the great Donald Kinsey on lead guitar. Around this time, I picked up a copy of a single that Donald released on his own, “Music Makes Me Feel Alright.” A great blues/rock guitarist, Kinsey is an American who played with Albert King and others, and whose tone and vibrato echoed the unique sound of Mick Taylor to me. Mama Africa included Tosh’s reworked version of Johnny B. Goode, which provided Mr. Kinsey with a good backdrop for one of his many great guitar solos on his Gibson SG.

Also featured in the band and in one photo below (taken during the percussion jam) was Constantin “Vision” Walker, who had been associated with the Wailers in the earlier days, and who appeared in Ithaca and other places in upstate NY where we got to catch him often, while he teamed up with another fine guitar player, Carlton Bryan (see my posts for Carlton Bryan and Crossroads, and for Steel Pulse). Carlton sports a “Peter Tosh World Tour” shirt in the photos I took of him with Steel Pulse at the Pier.

Tosh boldly smoked a large spliff during the performance, which he would relight from time. A difficulty keeping it lit resulted from the dreadlocks over his face as he danced and sweated.

Only a month later, this band recorded a live album in Los Angeles, and the Captured Live video shows an hour of sonic and visual treats similar to this show in NYC.

(More text below the photos.)

There were many great shows at Pier 84 in those days and I remember one (it may have been this show, or maybe an earlier date - possibly in 1982) at which a brand new sound technology was demonstrated for the audience before the show. JVC was a cosponsor of these shows and, on the stage before the show they described something called a "compact disk" (CD) which, they claimed, would revolutionize the way people listen to music. To my knowledge, this was the first time that anyone there had ever heard of a CD, as well as the first time they actually heard a CD. One was popped into a JVC CD player and cranked up on the PA sound system. Of course, in the subsequent years, CDs overtook vinyl much faster than had been expected.

Speaking of vinyl’s last stand before CDs took over, around this time many reggae artists were releasing (in small batches) 12 inch “extended play” vinyl singles with dub or extended versions (“EPs”). EPs were the size of regular vinyl albums, but there was more room for the grooves to be cut on the vinyl, since total time was less than an album, and they played at 45 rpm. They sounded incredible (still do). With Mama Africa, Tosh released some 10 inch EPs, which was an unusual format.

1983-10-12 Hot Tuna

Landmark Theatre

Syracuse Law. First year. We needed some blistering loud rock and roll and we got it. Another show at the Landmark for me, the first time was a Jerry Garcia Band show, and then Gilmour. A nice trio of shows to have seen there.

1983-10-22 The Grateful Dead / The Band

Carrier Dome

The great Richard Manuel was still there at this time, and it was the only time I got to see him.